These delicious fat-free oatmeal cookies contain no white flour, only oatmeal and whole wheat. Sweetened with pure maple syrup, they contain no added oil.
What can I say about these cookies? Should I start with the fact that they contain no white flour, only oatmeal and whole wheat? Or is it more important to note that they’re sweetened with pure maple syrup? Or should I remind you that since this is the FatFree Vegan Kitchen, they contain no added oil or margarine, only the fats that are naturally present in the oats and other ingredients?
No. If your loved ones are like mine, they won’t ask you about the flour, sugar, or fat; they just care about the taste. So when they come streaming into the kitchen, drawn by the warm aroma of cinnamon and maple, give them their freshly baked treats but keep the nutrition lecture to yourself. As they ooh and ahh over these soft, sweet cookies, smile, savoring the secret knowledge that you’re showing your love for them in more ways than they know.
A Few Notes:
The banana flavor is very subtle in these fat-free cookies, so even if you don’t like bananas, you might not mind it here. But, if you want, feel free to substitute 1/2 cup of applesauce for the mashed banana. The same goes for the maple syrup; you can use agave nectar instead, or any other liquid sweetener.
I used a mixture of ground white chia seeds and water to mimic the consistency of eggs, but I’ve included a couple of other egg replacement options that should work as well. I grind the chia seeds briefly in the blender before measuring them and mixing with water; it thickens in about 5-10 minutes.
To make the heart-shaped cookies, I placed a cookie cutter on the baking sheet, pressed the dough into it, and then lifted the cutter off.
I suspect (though I haven’t tried it) that you could make these fat-free oatmeal cookies gluten-free by using gluten-free oats and baking mix instead of the whole wheat flour. If you experiment, please post your results in the comments.
Hope you have a great Valentine’s Day. Spend it doing something you love!
More Fat-Free Cookies
Here are a few more oil-free cookie recipes to satisfy your sweet tooth:
Banana-Maple Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon ground chia seeds or 2 tsp. egg replacer powder or 2 tsp. ground flaxseed
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 cup regular or quick oats
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1 banana , mashed
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the chia seeds (or egg replacer or flaxseed) with the water and set aside until thickened (no waiting is necessary if packaged egg replacer is used.)
- Mix the oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a medium mixing bowl. Add the raisins.
- Add the maple syrup, vanilla, mashed banana, and lemon juice to the chia/flax/egg replacer mixture and combine well. Pour into the dry mixture and stir well but don’t overmix.
- Drop by heaping tablespoons onto a baking sheet lined with a silicon mat or parchment paper. Flatten each cookie slightly with a fork. Bake for 8-12 minutes or until bottoms and sides are lightly brown. Cool for a few minutes on a wire rack before serving.
Nutritional info is approximate.
Please pin and share!
nikki
Maple and oats is one of my classic favorite breakfast and cookie staples! These look chewy and delicious.
Jeannette
I can't wait to try this recipe. I am experimenting with sugarless desserts and this one sounds like a winner. I wonder if you have tried substituting Stevia for the sweetener? I used it in an oatmeal-raisin cookie recipe and they turned out fine.
Azahara
Lovely!
I'm addicted to your Fat-free Pumpkin & Raisin Cookies. This recipe is equally easy and it's a great way to add a little variety to my cookie repertoire.
Thanks,
Azahara
Ashley
Susan
I am a ww member that is trying out vegan. I just made these cookies without raisins and they are delicious. A little bit dry for what Im used to but amazing none the less! Thanks!
Anonymous
Hi Susan,
Just tried this recipe this afternoon, first as cookies, and loved them. It gave me an idea to double the recipe and layer half in an 8×8 pan, add a layer of pureed dates, then layer remaining cookie dough on top. Baked in a 350 oven for 20 mins, tried this right away and they turned out awesome! A fat free date bar–you must try!
Thanks for sharing a yummy recipe–I am experiencing the same problem as others and can't stop eating them–must freeze them before it's too late!
lovemyfamilly
I am use to cookie recipe's having too much sugar so I always half it, I should of known better than to do that with your recipe. Next time I will add the whole 1/2 cup of maple syrup.
Shifali
Hi Susan,
I tried the recipe on Sunday and used organge juice instead of Maple Syrup as I did not have any at home and it tasted great as the cookie turned out to be quite soft and delicious
However after 2 days the cookie lost its crispness and I dont know the reason for it. Could you please guide me on this?
Thanks!
SusanV
Hi Shifali,
The lack of fat makes the texture change over time. Mine actually became harder the next day, and putting them in the microwave for 10 seconds made them softer. I'm not sure what to do for yours, though putting them in an oven for a few minutes might restore the crispness.
Kim C.
Hi Susan,
Made these last night and they are DELICIOUS!! I'm not vegan so I use one egg and half maple syrup and agave nectar. Will definitely fill the cookie jar up with these.
Thanks a bunch!
Anonymous
Hola, que tal?
Tenemos un nuevo blog en la web por la LiberaciĂłn Animal!
A difundir y participar! 🙂
http://larabiadelbosque.blogspot.com/
LiberaciĂłn Animal!
Abrazos!
Vita Mix Blenders
Those cookies look delicious Susan, I can't wait to try 'em! Thanks for the recipe. 🙂
solensky
hi made these and the whole family loved them-very encouraging to me to show them a great recipe that is healthy too. i was going to make them again today and double it but i have no lemon juice. will they still work- has anyone tried it without lemon juice?
\thanks
thejewishhostess
sounds like a great recipe! cant wait to try it!
Healthy Dessert
Yet another great post from you 🙂 look greats and sounds delicious. Will surely try this on a weekend 🙂 Thanks again.
Susan
Hey Susan! I wad wondering can I use Quakers instant oats??? Thanks!
SusanV
I haven’t tried instant oats, but if they’re just oats, no added ingredients, I can’t see why they wouldn’t work. You may have to adjust the amount a little, adding a little more if needed to get the batter thick enough.
Katie
Can’t wait to make these for my family! I wonder how long they might keep. I’d like to double the batch so I can mail them to a friend.
Thanks!!
SusanV
Katie, if I were you, I’d try them before making them to mail. I liked them best the day they were made and found they got harder the next day.
Lyssa
I love your blog 🙂
It’s so nice to find a variety of healthy recipes using lentils, chickpeas, grains, etc and not being stuck with the same ol’, same ol’
I made these cookies. The healthy side of them is great! But they were dry though, tasted ‘flour-y’ and a bit ‘chia-y’… Maybe my banana was too small? It was a small one, thawed from the freezer…
Natalia
Just pulled these out of the oven :). I made them gluten free by substituting the 1 cup flour for 1/3 cup bob red mill luten free flour blend, 1/3 cup millet flour, and 1/3 cup buckwheat flour. I dont now if its my sweet tooth or the GF flours but these needed some extra sweetness. I dont think it helped that i ran out of rasins an used cranbierries instead, very yummy but a bit tart :p. Really like the texture of these and that you use a bannana in place of the fats, always better to have fruit instead :D! I added some sweetner to the second batch before baking and topped the first with a maple glaze to compensate. I look forward to making thee again!
Rachel
I made these GF by grinding 1.5 cups of oats and using them in place of the flour. I used flax as I have no chia seeds. I didn’t put in raisins. The my DH’s whole vegan family enjoyed them on Mother’s Day and today I made another batch for he and I to enjoy. I like that these cookies aren’t too sweet and I loved the soft texture. These are a great way to use up an old banana or two.
Suzzie
Hey Susan!! I was wondering if i can use a little less maple syrup and more sugar? how much sugar will I have to use to replace the maple syrup? Thanks!
SusanV
I would probably try 1/3 cup of sugar to replace the syrup. You may need to add a little more to get it sweet enough and add a tablespoon or two of water to replace the liquid. Let me know how it works!
Robin
Delicious! I just linked to this recipe today. Thanks!
Azahara
Hi Susan,
I love these cookies and have made them several times by now. However, they always get hard as rock in a matter of hours (as soon as they completely cool, in fact). I’ve followed your advice and microwaved them for a few seconds, but still, they can’t compare to those fresh out of the oven. I was wondering whether I could prepare the batter, put it in the fridge, and bake just a few cookies at a time every morning. That way I wouldn’t have to freeze or throw out the leftovers.
Another question: Do you think I could use 3/4 cup grated carrot instead of the banana (or even in addition to it). Would I need to make any additional changes? If you think it could work, I’ll give it a try.
Thanks a lot!
SusanV
I think you probably could refrigerate the dough and cook them in small batches. If this works for you, please let me know because I’d like a solution to the “rock hard” problem myself!
I would add carrot in addition to the banana or use carrot in addition to apple sauce (instead of the banana). Banana acts sort of as an emulsifier, which carrot can’t do.
Please report back on all your experiments!
Samantha
I find that just putting them in a ziploc or glad container that is airtight keeps the hardness away. they become a little rubbery but still delicious. And not rock hard. try it 🙂
Hillie
I just made these cookies for the first time and they are delicious! The first vegan cookie I’ve made that’s good, and without oils! I didn’t have a problem with them getting really crispy. When I put them on the cookie sheet I didn’t follow Susan’s directions (sorry Susan) and made them quite thick. They cooked up beautifully. When they cooled I put them in a plastic bag. They stayed nice and soft!
sheena
these look great. i’m always looking for recipes to use for my bananas before they go bad. just a question though, what kind of texture do these cookies have? every time i try and make cookies with bananas, they come out a little too soft and cake-like, which is fine, but i prefer a more cookie feel to it.
DezC
Mine definitely came out soft and cake-like. I don’t mind, but I wouldn’t serve them to others (non-vegan) that would be bugged out by my non-sweet cakey “oatmeal cookies” . I like them, my kids are satisfied with them and they are more healthy, so I give it a thumbs up. Forget everybody else 🙂
Laura
Whoops – didn’t grind the chia seeds – and mine were black not white – but they just disappeared inside the cookie….and I didn’t mash the banana – left it in chunks. These cookies were huge and fluffy and soft and chewy – I liked the banana chunks – since I didn’t use raisins it added some texture. They are rather dense for all that fluff – one was all I could eat.
amie do
Hi I am so glad this website exists. I just completed a 5 day fast and all I crave now surprisingly are light healthy foods and I found your recipes to be pretty unique and appealing. I really like checking out the desert section. I mostly avoided sweets in my life because of all the fat and sugar I see being used to make it but your recipes seem perfect. I can’t wait to do my shopping at PCC tomorrow and start experimenting! Thanks
Amie
sam
does this recipe work with regular whole wheat flour?
SusanV
Sure. White whole wheat just tastes better/lighter.
Kenzie
What an interesting recipe! I love how they look very oatmeal’y .. those are my favorite type of cookies! I’m excited to make this because I’ve never done any type of banana cookie, even though it’s my husband’s favorite. Looks like a great start!
-Kenzie
meaghan
This was the first time I’ve ever baked a vegan treat and the first time I’ve used a flax egg. It was delicious! The cookies were oh-so-chewy, even the next day (I stored them in an airtight container straight after cooling) and my family was shocked to hear that there were no added fats. Definitely a keeper! Will be making them time and time again. Thanks Susan 🙂
meaghan
Oh, and I used self-raising whole wheat flour and omitted the baking soda/powder and used honey instead of maple syrup.
Emily
Thanks so much for this recipe! I made the cookies for the first time today and brought them to a potluck- they were a huge hit! Instead of whole wheat flour, I used quinoa flour (for more nutritional punch!) and it didn’t alter the taste. I think next time I’m going to try almond flour and see how that works. I also used flaxseed meal instead of ground flaxseeds and while it didn’t form much of a gel, the finished product still came out great. I added this recipe to my website because I think everyone needs to try it! Thanks again and keep up the good work 🙂
Lily Choyce
Great Recipe! I made a a few changes to it if anyone wants to try this recipe slightly modified.
I replaced the mashed banana with 1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce
I used dried cranberries instead of raisins
I left out the lemon juice just because I didn’t want to slice open a whole lemon for just 1/2 a tsp.
My husband and I absolutely loved them…the cranberries were something he requested and I felt that this recipe was super easy to replace the raisins with. Thanks Susan!
Giovani
So I was looking for a low-fat, vegan, AND gluten-free cookie recipe and stumbled upon this entry. I simply used Bob’s Red Mill GF flour mix and it couldn’t have been easier. I also used honey because that’s all I had, but I will buy some maple syrup for next time. The cookies came out cake-like but with crunch around the edges. I was quite pleased and can’t wait to experiment with it more to my taste! Thanks for the recipe.